At a glance
What this project was really about
Some renovations are defined by their finishes. The Caballo Project is defined by the people who built it.
When Fenn Rogers partnered with HomeSmithDesign on this whole-home renovation in Paradise Valley, we knew the design vision was special. Kaitlynn and Jenna had spent months developing a direction with the clients that was precise, considered, and not easy to build. That is the kind of brief that sorts out the builders who say yes from the builders who actually deliver.
What made this project different was the level of trust between everyone at the table. The clients gave the team room to push details further. HomeSmithDesign held the vision tightly and communicated it clearly. Our crew treated every surface, junction, and material transition as something worth doing right. That combination produced a result none of us could have reached independently.
The LUXE RED Award for Best Renovation / Restoration in Arizona, selected from 26,300 submissions nationwide and presented in Chicago, is the industry's recognition of what that kind of working relationship can produce. But the clients already knew that the day they walked back into their home.
The finished home
Every detail in these photographs came out of extended conversations between the clients, HomeSmithDesign, and our team. Nothing here is accidental.
HomeSmithDesign
Award-winning work does not happen without a design partner who holds the vision without compromise. Kaitlynn and Jenna at HomeSmithDesign did exactly that on the Caballo Project.
Led by Kaitlynn and Jenna, HomeSmithDesign built a direction for this home that required builders willing to work at the same level of precision. The material selections, the spatial transitions, the detail at every connection point: none of it was negotiable. That is what made the result possible, and it is what we look for in a design partnership on projects of this scope.
Builder and designer relationships on high-end renovations either make or break a project. When both sides show up with the same standards, the work reflects it.
The renovation scope
The Caballo Project was a whole-home renovation in Paradise Valley. We came into an existing structure with strong bones and the task of modernizing every interior surface to match an exacting design vision developed by HomeSmithDesign and the clients over months of planning.
Our role was to take those drawings and specifications and execute them without loss of intent. That means reading the details carefully, asking the right questions early, and not accepting a finished result that falls short of what was drawn. On a project of this complexity, the coordination between trades is as important as the skill of any individual crew.
The home was occupied by clients who trusted us with a space they care about deeply. We treat that kind of project as a relationship, not a transaction. Every phase had a dedicated point of contact, regular updates, and a clear standard for what done actually means before we moved to the next.
Whole-home scope. Every interior space touched. The structure was preserved and modernized throughout.
Specification-driven execution. HomeSmithDesign's selections were built to the drawing, not interpreted loosely in the field.
Trade coordination. Complex renovations require tight scheduling between trades. Delays compound. We managed that directly.
Client communication throughout. No surprises. Regular updates, documented decisions, clear accountability at every stage.
Paradise Valley experience. We know the permit process, the inspectors, and what the town's building requirements mean in practice.
More from the Caballo Project
What this kind of result requires
A LUXE RED Award does not happen by accident. Looking back at this project, a few things were non-negotiable from the start.
Real trust between client, designer, and builder. The clients gave the team room to do the work at the right level. That is rarer than it sounds. When clients micromanage out of uncertainty, the result shows it. When they trust a team they have vetted, the team rises to that trust.
A design team willing to hold the vision. HomeSmithDesign did not soften selections under pressure or accept field substitutions that changed the intent. Kaitlynn and Jenna stayed close to the project and communicated clearly. That discipline protects the result.
Time to do it right. Compressed schedules produce compressed results. This project had the time it needed. Rushing finish work or skipping the detail review at each stage is where quality gets lost on renovations of this scope.
A build team that takes the specifications personally. Our crew reads the drawings. When something in the field does not match the intent, they call it before it becomes a problem. That standard has to run through every trade on site, not just the ones we control directly.
Considering a renovation of this caliber?
We are taking on a small number of projects in 2026 and 2027. The first conversation is the right place to talk through your vision, the scope you are considering, and whether the timing works for both of us.